Home Inspection
Also called: property survey, building inspection, structural survey
A home inspection is a professional examination of a property's condition — structure, roof, systems, drainage — commissioned by the buyer. It's not a valuation and not a guarantee: inspectors report what's visible and accessible, so buried drains and wall cavities go unexamined. Its practical value is as a negotiating instrument, since documented defects reopen a price that was otherwise settled.